Tag Archives: monsoon season

The Road to Diamond, Day 243: On Staying Strong

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

July 29, 2025- A friend, who I visited today, has been a paragon of perseverance, over the past three months. After suffering severe injury, while on a trip abroad, he has endured multiple surgeries and lengthy periods of lying down, along with intense physical therapy. His wife, as is only natural, has been his rock. It was clear to me, during and after the visit, that he is going to make it through and show the right way to resilience.

Shades of 2004? Perhaps, with today’s 8.8 earthquake, off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Penninsula, generating some tsunami activity. Much of this may affect the islands of the Pacific Basin, the west coasts of North and South America, the east coasts of Asia, from Russia and Japan to the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia and the north and east coasts of Australia. A lot was learned in December, 2004, so people are already headed inland or to higher ground. With wisdom and learning from experience, communities and nations can stay strong.

Here in Home Base 1, our main concern is watching a wildfire that is 200 miles away, and keeping one eye on the extended period of dryness. So far, we have made it through the fire season locally, without much difficulty. Rain is falling to the east and may well be here again by Thursday. Even when “putting up with” extended sunshine, we need to focus on staying strong.

The Road to Diamond, Day 188: Soaked

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Personal Values, service, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 4, 2025- The rain came down three times today. This is not usual for June, one of the driest months in our area. We have now had three days of healthy showers, with the prospect of three weeks of dry weather to follow, before the start of the monsoon season. It’s fine by me, as those of us charged with helping the communities of northern Arizona through wildfire season can use whatever help nature wants to offer.

The roads were a bit on the saturated side, though flowing shallowly enough that those of us with errands to run could manage. I got a print job done, despite my own HP being dry of ink. Thanks, Office Max, for the flash drives and copier. It was in-between showers, when I went across town to co-host Baha’i Feast, and not too bad when I had to run to a provider, to give necessary information before tomorrow’s co-pay is due.

By the time I was up for a walk downtown, this evening, the sun was back out. It will likely stay that way until after July 4. That gives us the imperative to organize teams that can gather to set up shelters, in the event of wildfires, both before and during monsoon season. The rains also bring the challenge of flooding. Thankfully, the soil was too dry to repel the moisture of the past three days.

Our second such meeting, relative to sheltering plans, will be tomorrow-in the Verde Valley, which trends 15 degrees warmer than here in Prescott. There will be several other gatherings, over the next week or so, as well as online communication and logistical stockpiling. I hope that this model will persist, for many years to come.

Solstice Notes

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

June 21, 2023- The woman I briefly encountered, yesterday, insisted that solstice was another form of equinox-and that there were four days per year, in which the amount of light was equal to that of darkness. Unable to convince her otherwise, I went about my other business. I hope she figures it out by December.

For the rest of us, Solstice was a day of fair celebration. Atop Solstice Mesa, many were gathered, with three barbecue parties going on, when I reached the top carrying my drum. I quietly tapped on old Bear, while gazing at the sunset.

Of course, the conversation among the group members was about the bear which mauled and killed a man, south of town, last Friday. I had met the gentleman once,about two years ago, whilst helping his neighbours, who have since moved into town. This was not the case of a rabid animal, and it appeared to have been otherwise healthy-just somehow deranged. Witnesses say the man was minding his own business and the bear caught him from behind.

Another conversation took place earlier, on the topic of intentional communities. These have been cropping up, all over the country, somewhat in reaction to the proliferation of housing units owned by Private Equity firms, which have no compunction about pricing housing out of reach of a good many people-singles and families alike. Intentional communities exist in Arizona. I know one small IC, whose residents were once friends of mine, but have seemingly closed themselves off from many of us. There are larger ICs, with one of the most famous being in the far northeast corner of Washington State. They have some similarity to the communes of the ’60s and ’70s, but there is a structure and purpose to their operation, thus the “Intentional” part of the name. See http://www.ic.org.

My chiropractor has found that spine and musculature are in vastly improved condition. He credits my activity-and the lost weight. I know how to maintain both now, so the check-ups will be every six weeks, rather than monthly. A set of medical lab tests, tomorrow, will hopefully offer further affirmation.

We now all await the monsoon season-with the forecast calling for two more weeks of dry heat, followed by a build-up of humidity and moisture, starting July 5. That is quite standard. I will be around, at any rate.

Soaking Wet

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Posted by on in Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Striving

August 24, 2022-

When walking with a fine new book in hand,

and the clouds decided to stop expanding,

I found myself the target of drops,

and there was place to conveniently stop.

Thankfully, it took but five minutes,

to get to the safety of Home Base,

and be free from lightning’s capricious gaze.

For the first time since 2008, I found myself caught in a downpour, though it didn’t get to full intensity until after I had managed to get inside. Then, to add to the drama, there was the spectacle of a recycling bin being carried along by a torrent of water, followed by a determined neighbour walking after it, despite the fact that the rain was pummeling him. Man and bin returned to their residence, just as the rain was tapering off- so I think he decided to stop under the overhang of the sports bar next door.

Friends across town later told me they had lost power, for about thirty minutes. We lost ours for a few seconds, just enough to require a couple of resets. This monsoon remains the most prolific so far this century-at least in our area, and that’s saying a lot, as I recall 2004, 05, 08 and 2010 as having served up some ferocious microbursts.

In other news, I finished my Spring & Summer reading: Gandhi, An Autobiography; The Four Agreements; Leonora in the Morning Light; The Maxwells of Montreal, Volume 1. Now come the Summer & Fall selections: John Adams; PrairyErth; Otherlands and Learn Well This Tablet. I have previously mentioned the first three listed above. “Maxwells” is an account of the initiators of the Baha’i community of Canada. I will read the second volume over the winter. “John Adams” is, of course, a biography of the second President of the United States, by the late David McCullough. “PrairyErth” is a detailed study of the topography, flora, fauna and communities of Chase County, Kansas, by William LeastHeat Moon. “Otherlands” is a scholarly exploration of Earth’s pre-human eras, from the inception of life through the Pleistocene, by Thomas Halliday. “Tablet” is a study of the Baha’i prayer, Tablet of Ahmad, by the late H. Richard Gurinsky, who I knew personally.

This weekend will hopefully take me back up to Dharma Farm, for some grounding time, before heading to Colorado in the middle of next week, for a few days. It would also be nice to get in a hike or two, visit Synergy and carry on with regular weekend morning activities. It’s been a fairly quiet and lovely month thus far, overall. September also promises to be lovely, but far from quiet.

Heat Haze

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, distraction issues, impediments, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

June 11, 2022- As I walked around the Farmers’ Market today, I was struck by the fact that people I’ve known for eleven years seemed oddly disconnected. A friend who was with it figured the others were just struggling with the heat, which always seems worse, just before the monsoons hit. As a nearby community had rain in buckets, yesterday, this makes a fair amount of sense.

Tomorrow is supposed to be the hottest of days, then it is forecast that the area will see a slight decrease in temperature. I would not be surprised if I drive into rain, tomorrow afternoon, on the first leg of a journey east and north. There are many who either have, or are, embarking on journeys of this type. One said he is doing this to stick it to the “Big Dogs”, who he sees as simultaneously jacking up gas prices and selling off large amounts of stock. That seems a bit simplistic, but nothing surprises me anymore.

I do agree with him, that we need not ask permission of anyone, before following our inner promptings. At the same time, one has to keep an eye on reality and be happy with as much of those inner promptings as may be successfully realized. There is always a reason why some goals must be left for a later date. For example, my original plan to visit Newfoundland was made in 2013, but other concerns took precedence, that summer. I had a plan to try again to visit that island, in 2020, and we all know what got in everyone’s way then. This year seems like the right time, and I will still be happy with wherever I manage to get.

The Universe and spirit guides point us in a certain direction, but it is our own purity of motive that will get us there and back. I pray to not be misdirected by the haze of a hot temper or foggy logic.

The Summer of the Rising Tides, Day 52: She Came With The Rain

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Striving

July 22, 2020-

This is one of two verses that came to me, this afternoon, as I sat watching the thick rain clouds trying to push into our area, meeting a fierce resistance from the high pressure that has kep us dry for the past four days. As of this writing, the dryness is holding back.

She has a good sense of when to speak,

and when lashing out will only bring counterthrusts.

Most of the time, she watches and listens, in silence.

This time, what she saw and heard became too much to bear,

and she unloaded,

bringing the forces of Nature,

the power of the Universe,

down the mountain slopes,

as the unwanted Heat dug in its heels.

She did not come alone,

there was a serried line

of her peers,

walking with her,

then standing still,

taking all that the heat

had to throw at them.

When the unwanted heat

was spent,

and the thunder and lightning

to their rear,

took cumbersome breaths

and subsided.

the Force of Nature

and her cohort

rained gently at first,

then proferred

a furious downpour,

with the Heat,

sizzling in the sidewalks,

giving up its promacy,

yet vowing to be back again.

This verse speaks as much to the power of Nature, when facing the unnatural desert heat, in a time when rain is what is natural, as it does to the love of a mother for her family, for her community.